In Dwarf Fortress players are going to construct and build the best fortress for their dwarfs and place all the buildings that they need which is to keep them in good mood and health. However, you will need to have plenty of resources because nothing can be built for free. Iron is one of the important resources that is needed for constructing furniture, and weapons, and even can be traded.
In this guide, we will show you How to Find Iron in Dwarf Fortress!
How To Find Iron – Dwarf Fortress
One of the most important resources and a metal that can be used in Dwarf Fortress is Iron. It has a big value when it comes to building weapons and furniture in the game. Also, it is the most needed material for producing steel.
In the game, iron can be found in a total of three different types.
- Hematite
- Magnetite
- Limonite
The Magnetite and Limonite can be found only in the sedimentary layers, while the Hematite can occasionally be found in igneous extrusive layers.
Sedimentary layer is usually the first layer you reach under the top layers of soil. Once you have located a sedimentary layer, you should start an exploratory mine. The most efficient way to search for minerals is in a grid.

You have to mine a single wide passage out your stairs all the way to the left and all the way to the right of the map, and then intersect that with single-wide tunnels reaching from the top of the map to the bottom every 10 spaces.
It will take time for your dwarfs to mine this pattern, and eventually you should see announcements at the bottom of your screen saying “You have struck” and then the name of the mineral that you found.

To see where the material is exactly located, move the arrow to the item on the announcement list and then press “Z”. The game will automatically zoom to the place where the material is, and place the cursor over that block.
You will get these announcements also for both gem and ores, but you will have to focus on the iron. Once you have located the ore you want to mine, press “D” twice to bring the mining menu, and then press “A” to switch to auto mining.
